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Before my trip to New Orleans, I had seen wild alligators twice in my life – once at Hilton Head Island and once in Charleston, SC. To a California girl like me, seeing these animals in the wild is one of the most unique experiences I have had in the south. I get so excited, and slightly nervous, every time I see one. Naturally, searching for gators was on my must-do list when planning a trip to New Orleans. With all the bayous and gulf coast, I figured there had to be somewhere to see these creatures in the area. After a little research, we decided to take a trip to Honey Island Swamp in hopes of seeing a few gators and other wildlife.
We lucked out and ended up being the only 4 people on our swamp boat. I guess booking early in the morning has its perks! After we boarded our boat, we were off! Our guide was very knowledgable, telling us all about the swamp, Louisiana bayous and the critters that live in them.
As we headed out into the swamp, we passed by endless trees drapped in Spanish moss, keeping our eyes peeled for gators. The first few minutes of the ride passed by houses built right up to the edge of the swamp, showing that people live in the most interesting locations!
The first wildlife we saw weren’t the gators we were expecting, but some fluffy raccoons instead. We spotted them hiding behind a tree, questioning the boat heading in their direction. It was at this point that our guide informed us that all the critters in the swamp are fond of one particular treat, and that if we offered up this treat, we might be able to get them to come closer. Any guesses on what that treat was? Marshmallows! We grabbed a stick, stuck a marshmallow on the end, and offered it out to the raccoons who quickly ran up the boat to grab their treat.
After we had thoroughly fed the raccoons, we boated back out further into the swamp, ready for our first gator sighting. Instead, we were greeted by a group of wild boar running around on the shore. Again, our guide let us know that if we wanted a closer look at these animals we would need to offer them a treat. We stuck marshmallows on the end of our sticks, stuck them overboard, and watched the boar swim over to grab a bite.
It was at this point that we spotted our first gator! It blended in well with the murky water, and could have been easy to overlook had we not been desperately scanning the water looking for it.
We boated along for a few more minutes and saw a couple other small gators along the way. We finally found a large gator and decided that this was a good stopping point. Once again, our guide grabbed his stick, stuck on a marshmallow, and offered it out to the gator. Some gators stayed in the water to grab their treat, while others actually jumped out of the water to grab it. Watching these giant creatures propel themselves upwards to grab their snack was so impressive!
The few hours we spent out on the swamp was my favorite part of our entire New Orleans trip! There is something so special about seeing alligators in the wild. The thrill I get from seeing one is a feeling I hope to never lose. Next time I visit Louisiana (or probably any of the gulf coast states where gators live), I will absolutely go on another excursion to spot them in the wild.
